A less cynical and dark plotline combined with a somewhat weak narrative tread makes this fifth Brunetti novel less exciting than the first four. On the positive side, we have the return of the opera singer and her archaeologist/art historian lover who is involved in the theft of Chinese art she was responsible for. We learn a little more about signorina Elletra Zorzi and her mysterious past. The whole stolen/replaced art pieces is a bit boring but then again art in something quite serious in Italy.